Ammunition 2S1
S3/2S19
S12
S5
S7
BM-21
He-Frag
47%
40%
77%
50%
80%
67%
ICM
20%
20%
0%
17%
20%
20%
Flechette
10%
10%
0%
8%
0%
0%
HEAT-FS
5%
5%
0%
5%
0%
0%
Smoke WP
5%
5%
10%
5%
0%
0%
Illumination
10%
10%
10%
0%
0%
0%
ADHPM
3%
5%
3%
5%
0%
3%
Scatt Mines 0%
5%
0%
10%
0%
10%
10% of these munitions will be extended range
ADHPM includes all munitions referred to as precision-guided munitions (PGM))
(The above percentages apply to the total haul capacity of a firing unit. Haul capacity includes the weapons on-board storage and the carrying capacity of trucks organic to the unit. Generally, haul capacity is 2.0 units of fire for self-propelled systems, 1.6 units of fire for towed systems, and 1.3 units of fire for MRLs. Units could also receive additional transportation support from division and army-level assets if required by the situation.
For all systems, additional ammunition above these "basic loads" would be predominately HE-Frag with a limited number of ICM. Other types of ammunition are allocated to meet specific mission requirements.
A unit of fire is a logistical calculation for resupply of ammunition and does not imply any specific types of ammunition. At battalion level, a unit of fire only applies to high volume ammunition such as HE-Frag, ICM, and the extended range version of these rounds. Other ammunition types, such as PGMs, scatterable mines, chemical, illumination, and smoke are handled on a special basis. These munitions are issued only as needed to fulfill specific missions or resupply expended stocks. Thus, there are "standard" and "special" units of fire. A "standard" unit of fire has only one type of ammunition, normally a "killing" round (HE-Frag or ICM). A "special" unit of fire will have "killing" rounds but will also include specialized ammunition. Ammunition distribution can be used to influence the battle. This not only means the amount but also the types of ammunition supplied. The main effort may not only receive more ammunition than the supporting effort, but it may also receive a higher percentage of improved munitions than the supporting effort. Conversely, the supporting effort will likely have a higher percentage of HE-Frag ammunition.
Modern conventional fire support means, especially precision weapons, approach the destructive effect of low-yield nuclear weapons. A precision weapon is one capable of delivering guided conventional munitions with a 50- to 60-percent probability of destroying enemy targets with a first-round hit (within range of the weapon delivery system). This capability is possible only by employing precision munitions that have a guidance or homing element. The presence of the precision munition transforms a weapon into a precision weapon. However, a precision weapon system must also incorporate a target acquisition and tracking subsystem and a missile or projectile guidance subsystem.
The fielding of precision munitions provides distinct advantages for a tube artillery unit. First, tube artillery units are capable of firing at individual targets (to include pinpoint targets such as tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), or field fortifications) with a high probability of a first-round kill. For example, a unit firing 152-mm laser-guided projectiles (LGPs) can reduce its ammunition expenditure by 40 to 50 times, compared to using 152-mm conventional munitions, and also destroy the target three to five times faster. This eliminates the traditional requirement for an area fire or artillery barrage. Second, a tube artillery unit can fire at group targets using the same gun settings computed relative to the center of mass of the group target.